Valleyfest celebrates 36 years in Spokane Valley with new events

Sept. 17, 2025 Updated Thu., Sept. 18, 2025 at 11:19 a.m.

By Emily White emilyw@spokesman.com (509) 459-5444

If You Go

Saturday events

River Run: Saturday’s events start with a River Run at 8 a.m. at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center. The race will start and finish at the Mirabeau Trailhead 1. Runners will run east on the Centennial Trail and loop back at a designated turnaround on the trail. Runners can either run a 5K or 10K. Registration is available at the park before the race begins.

Step up for Down Syndrome walk: The mile-long Step Up for Down Syndrome walk will start at 9 a.m. at 2426 N Discovery Place in Spokane Valley. Registration is from 9 to 10 a.m. and the walk will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. After the walk, there will be refreshments and activities until 1 p.m.

Fishing at the Falls: Kids under 14 can fish at the falls on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Mirabeau Point Park Waterfall. Equipment and technical help will be provided at the falls and every fish caught will be donated to the Union Gospel Mission.

Vendor booths will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Lilo and Stitch movie will be showing on the North Lawn at 7:15 p.m.

Astronomy: On Sept. 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Spokane Astronomical Society will have telescopes of all sizes for folks to use and view sunspots and solar flares with. And from sunset to 10 p.m., folks can use the telescopes to view the night sky.

Featured artists on Saturday

The Meadow Festival Stage will feature Ed Shaw at 11:30 a.m., Slap Shot at 1 p.m., Pamela Benton at 3 p.m. and Tuxedo Junction at 5 p.m.

The Family Stage will feature several shows from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., including hula and other dancing shows.

The West Lawn Stage will feature Sugar Bear Band at 11 a.m., Trevor Chambers at 1 p.m., Prairie Fire at 3 p.m. and Red Hot Kitten Stompers at 5 p.m.

Sunday events

Pancake Breakfast from 8-10 a.m. at CenterPlace Regional Event Center. Cost is $7 for kids and $10 for adults. Proceeds donated will go to the Valleyfest Children’s Foundation.

A car show will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in front of the CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

Featured artists at Mirabeau Point Park on Sunday:

The Meadow Festival Stage will feature three artists: Jona Gallegos at 11 a.m., Heather King Band at 1 p.m. and Soul Proprietor at 3 p.m.

The Family Stage will feature The Royals at 11 a.m., Cecil’s Magic at 12 p.m., Dance Unlimited at 1 p.m., a Cultural Dance Mix at 2 p.m. and Mariachi Las Aguilas at 3 p.m.

The West Lawn Stage will feature Grand Avenue Band at 11 a.m., Kosta La Vista at 1 p.m. and the car show awards at 2:30 p.m.

It’s that time of year again – there’s a chill in the morning air, pumpkins are sneaking their way into bins outside of grocery stores and Valleyfest is just around the corner.

It’s the festival’s 36th year in Spokane Valley, said Peggy Doering, Valleyfest’s executive director. Valleyfest events will be at Mirabeau Point Park, Mirabeau Springs and the CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

For the most part, the festival is remaining the same as it always has : Parades, fun runs, vendors and a car show. But a few events are new to the festival, including a dunk tank, pumpkin patch and a movie.

Spokane Valley City Councilman Al Merkel will have a dunk tank across from other vendors at Mirabeau Point Park. Folks can pay to dunk Merkel in a tank of water on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funds will go to the Valleyfest Children’s Foundation. The dunk tank is the first one the festival has had in over 25 years, Doering said.

A pumpkin patch is coming to the festival from Green Bluff and will be at Mirabeau Point Park on Saturday and Sunday, complete with straw, hay and pumpkins.

This is the first time the festival has had a pumpkin patch of this scale at the park, Doering said.

The live-action Lilo & Stitch movie is the first movie to be played at Valleyfest in six years. The movie will start at 7:15 p.m. on the north lawn.

Everything else will be festival as usual, Doering said.

“We’re going to have fun,” she said. “We have ponies, we have inflatables, we have games, we have music, and we have booths with resources for young families and parents.”

Events will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday with the Hearts of Gold parade that begins on Sprague Avenue near Appleway Florist and finishes at Perrine Road. This year’s parade has over 80 entries, Doering said, including cars, floats and folks walking . Sprague Avenue will be closed between University and Pines Road at 6 p.m. Friday.

This parade will be the last one with Lee Chessman as the grand marshal. Chessman has been overseeing the parade for decades, Doering said.

“He has been very instrumental in helping us map out our routes and safety plans every year,” Doering said. “We will miss him.”

Parking for the festival is available at the Pinecroft Business Park or the lot south of the CenterPlace Regional Event Center on both Saturday and Sunday. The STA Shuttle will drive to the festival from the Spokane Valley Mall on Saturday. The festival is funded by sponsorships, booth fees and grants, Doering said.